Air Wars

Giant aerospace companies are getting
together in a bid to dominate the B-to-B parts market

By

Karen Jacobs and

Jeff Cole

Updated July 17, 2000 12:01 a.m. ET

Aerospace corporations have dueled for decades over which among them gets to build technical marvels, from fighter jets to spy satellites. But their latest race involves a high-stakes prize of another stripe. Each wants a piece of the business-to-business market for trading in parts and services, in an industry with sales that top a whopping $400 billion a year.

In this congested contest, which is playing out in the arcane realm of Internet-based exchanges, every strategy suffers its share of unknowns. Entrepreneurs are...